Picking up BP when in his hide?

[Jennessa]

Hi, very new to the snake world but things seem to be going well so far. I feed my BP in a separate tank per previous owner's advice to avoid bites. I need to feed him but he's curled up in his hide. How do I get him out? He moves about on occasion and I waited til night but he's not cooperating. I don't want to pick up the hide and scare him or risk getting bit. This is the third time I've fed him and didn't have this problem before. Thanks for any advice!!!

[Daybreaker]

Feed him in the enclosure: he won't start mistaking you for food if you start feeding in the enclosure.

[KMG]

Previous owner was misinformed. Feeding in the tank is actually better.

I just pick up the hide and then the snake. Dont hesitate and be deliberate in your movements.

[Saber402]

It is not necessary to feed in a separate enclosure. You will find the majority of people on here do not. Feeding in the enclosure does not lead to so called cage aggression. If anything, you have a greater chance of being bitten when transferring a newly fed snake back into it's enclosure.

I have seven BP's and all are fed in their enclosures. I have never received a bite from any of them. I wouldn't put my hand near them immediately after feeding, however, just in case their feeding response is still in gear. I also give my snakes at least 36 hours before handling again to give them time to relax and digest the meal.

[Crazymonkee]

Bad advice... you're actually MORE likely to get bit moving them to a different place for feeding. Feed your snake in it's enclosure

[ViperSRT3g]

1. Tap on the hide a little to let your snake know you're there. This will wake them up if they are sleeping so they won't bite in defense of a hide suddenly disappearing from above them.

2. Lift the hide slowly off of them. Fast sudden movements are scary for them.

3. Rub them a bit to let them know you are about to pick them up. Do this ONLY if you are going to pick them up. If not, proceed to step 4.

4. Feed BP. If they are still not very interested in the food, do the zombie dance if they're eating F/T. If they are still not interested, there are other steps you can do, but another good one is to replace the hide and leave the food in front of the hide entrance. If feeding live, MONITOR the BP and food. If there is no interest, remove food and try everything again another day.

These steps will allow you to teach your snake simple command-based actions so they know what you intend to do. They reduce confusion between actions, and help them be less stressed out. If the reasoning behind these procedures are confusing, just put yourself in your snake's shoes. How would you like it if someone barged into your home and picked you up from your sleep?

[Raven01]

Initially, I was given the same advice by someone that is pretty good with herps.
I still use much of the advice he offered but, on enclosure vs feeding tub I differ. I would defy anyone to feed my BCL in a tub and then transfer her back to her enclosure, that snake is a hardcore foodie. When she is in feeding mode stay clear, when she isn't in feeding mode you could not ask for a more gentle, inquisitive snake.

Usually my snakes come out of hides because I warm the prey in the same room they are in. When the prey reaches its' temp the snakes have already been smelling food for a bit and are usually not shy about coming out to feed unless they are in deep blue. When not feeding when I open the enclosure for any reason other than feeding I give then a minute of tongue flicking to determine there is no food present and tap or stroke them to let them know I am there and it is not feeding time before taking them out and have had no issues since changing to enclosure feeding.

[KMG]

When I feed I just dangle the prey outside the hide door so the snake comes out. There is no reason to lift the hide to feed.

[bcr229]

When I feed I just dangle the prey outside the hide door so the snake comes out. There is no reason to lift the hide to feed.

Usually mine smell the rats thawing so there's a nose or head visible a the hide entrance anyway.

[Jennessa]

Thanks for all the help. This will definitely simplify things as it was hard to keep the feeding tank warm too. Thanks!!!!